(AP) - Authorities have identified the pilot injured when his small plane crashed into a lake near a New Jersey airport.

John Wells was alone in the Bellanca CH7A model plane when it went down shortly before noon Monday near the Aeroflex-Andover Airport in Sussex County. It ended up in the state's deepest natural lake, Lake Aeroflex, in Newton.

The 49-year-old Wells freed himself and swam away before a police rowboat plucked him from the water. He was being treated at a hospital for back and neck injuries, but further details on his condition were not available Tuesday.

Authorities have said Wells was taking off when the crash occurred. The airport is in Kittatinny Valley State Park and is owned by the state's Forest Fire Service.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.